Patent Application
20250079727
The subject matter herein relates generally to contact assemblies.
Contact assemblies are used to electrically connect various components or devices. For example, the contact assemblies may include contacts or terminals that are electrically connected. Some known contact assemblies are connected by a permanent connection, such as a welded connection. Other known contact assemblies are connected at a separable interface, such as using a threaded fastener. For example, an opening may be formed in the contact by a thermal friction drilling process and the threaded fastener may pass through the opening. The thermal friction drilling process forms a collar around the drill hole. However, a poor electrical connection may be formed at the interface between the collar and the mating contact or terminal of the mating contact assembly. Some known separable connections are made using a nut and bolt. Other known separable connections eliminate the use of the nut by forming threads directly into the opening in the contact using a threading device during a threading process.
A need remains for a cost effective and reliable contact assembly having separable interface for mating with a mating contact assembly.
In one embodiment, a contact assembly is provided and includes a contact having an upper surface and a lower surface. The contact has a drill hole therethrough. The contact has a flashing collar surrounding the drill hole. The contact assembly includes a mating interposer bonded to the flashing collar to mechanically and electrically connect the mating interposer to the contact. The mating interposer has a mating interface configured to be mated to a terminal to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
In another embodiment, a contact assembly is provided and includes a contact having an upper surface and a lower surface. The contact has a drill hole therethrough. The contact has a flashing collar surrounding the drill hole at the upper surface. The contact assembly includes a mating interposer having a mating surface and a connecting surface. The connecting surface is connected to the flashing collar by metallurgical bonding to mechanically and electrically connect the mating interposer to the contact. The mating interposer has an opening therethrough aligned with the drill hole. The mating interposer has a separable mating interface at the mating surface configured to be mated to a terminal to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
In a further embodiment, a method of manufacturing a contact assembly is provided and includes providing a contact has an upper surface and a lower surface. The method includes thermal friction drilling a drill hole in the contact to form a flashing collar around the drill hole. The method bonds a mating interposer to the flashing collar to form a separable mating interface configured to be mated to a terminal to electrically connect the terminal to the contact.
The contact 110 includes a body 112 having an upper surface 114 and a lower surface 116. The contact 110 may be a busbar in various embodiments. In various embodiments, the body 112 is planar. However, the body 112 may have other shapes in alternative embodiments, such as having one or more bends, such as being L-shaped. In other various embodiments, the body 112 may be hollow, such as having a cylindrical or rectangular in cross-section. The contact 110 is manufactured from a metallic material, such as aluminum, copper, steel, or an alloy thereof. The contact 110 may be coated or plated with one or more conductive layers. The contact 110 extends between a first end 120 and a second end 122. The mating interposer 150 in the terminal 200 are coupled to the contact 110 at the first end 120. The second end 122 may be connected to another component, such as a wire, a cable, a connector, a busbar, or an electrical device.
In an exemplary embodiment, the contact 110 includes an opening 130 at the first end 120 that receives the fastener 250. In an exemplary embodiment, the opening 130 is a drill hole formed by a thermal friction drilling process and may be referred to hereinafter as a drill hole 130. The thermal friction drilling process may be a flow drilling process in various embodiments. The drill hole 130 passes through the body 112 between the upper surface 114 and the lower surface 116. Optionally, the drill hole 130 may pass entirely through the body 112. Alternatively, the drill hole 130 may pass only partially through the body 112 (for example, open at the upper surface 114 and closed at the lower surface 116). In various embodiments, the drill hole 130 may be threaded by a threading device such that the fastener 250 may be threadably coupled to the contact 110 at the drill hole 130. In other various embodiments, the fastener 250 is connected to the contact 110/terminal 200 using a threaded nut (not shown) on the bottom side of the assembly. The threaded fastener 250 may extend partially or completely through the drill hole 130 and/or the nut (when used).
In an exemplary embodiment, during the forming of the drill hole 130, such as during the thermal friction drilling process, a flashing collar 140 is formed at the upper surface 114 and flashing collar 142 is formed at the lower surface 116. The flashing collar 140, 142 is a natural occurrence or byproduct of the thermal friction drilling process. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 is bonded to the flashing collar 140 to mechanically and electrically connect the mating interposer 150 to the flashing collar 140. Optionally, an additional mating interposer (not shown) may be bonded to the lower flashing collar 142 to provide an additional mating interposer on the bottom side of the contact assembly 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 is metallurgically bonded to the flashing collar 140 by connecting the mating interposer 150 to the flashing collar 140 when the flashing collar 140 is enabled state. For example, the mating interposer 150 is hot bonded to the flashing collar 140 prior to the flashing collar 140 returning to room temperature. When the flashing collar 140 is formed, the flashing collar 140 is flowable. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 is bonded to the flashing collar 140 when the flashing collar 140 is flowable. The metal material of the mating interposer 150 and the metal material of the flashing collar 140 may be intermixed by diffusion during the assembly process.
In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 is a washer. The mating interposer 150 may be ring-shaped having a circular outer diameter. The mating interposer 150 may have other shapes in alternative embodiments. The mating interposer 150 may be flat or planar in various embodiments. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 has an opening therethrough. The opening may be enclosed (for example, at a center of the mating interposer 150) or may be opening or slot formed at a side of the mating interposer 150. The mating interposer 150 is manufactured from a metallic material, such as aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof. In various embodiments, the mating interposer 150 is manufactured from a different material as the contact 110. For example, the contact 110 may be manufactured from an aluminum material in the mating interposer 150 may be manufactured from a copper material, or vice versa. However, in alternative embodiments, the mating interposer 150 and the contact 110 may be manufactured from the same material. The mating interposer 150 may be coated or plated with one or more conductive layers, such as silver or zinc.
The mating interposer 150 has a mating surface 152 at a top of the mating interposer 150 and a connecting surface 154 at a bottom of the mating interposer 150. The connecting surface 154 is configured to be connected to the flashing collar 140. For example, the connecting surface 154 may be pressed into the flashing collar 140 metallurgically bond the mating interposer 150 to the flashing collar 140 of the contact 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating surface 152 defines a separable mating interface for mating with the terminal 200. In various embodiments, the mating surface 152 may be flat or smooth and the terminal 200 is pressed into mating contact with the mating surface 152 by the fastener 250. In other various embodiments, the mating surface 152 may be non-planar, such as being a structured surface, a stepped surface, a curved surface, and the like. In alternative embodiments, the terminal 200 may be soldered or welded to the mating surface 152 of the mating interposer 150. For example, the mating surface 152 may define a weld pad for welding the terminal 200 to the mating surface 152. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 includes an opening 156 therethrough aligned with the drill hole 130 to receive the fastener 250.
The terminal 200 includes a body 202 having an upper surface 204 and a lower surface 206. In various embodiments, the body 202 is planar. However, the body 202 may have other shapes in alternative embodiments. The terminal 200 is manufactured from a metallic material, such as aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof. The terminal 200 may be coated or plated with one or more conductive layers. The terminal 200 may be a busbar in various embodiments configured to be terminated to another component at the opposite end to transmit power between the component and the contact assembly 100. In other various embodiments, the terminal 200 may be a ring terminal for crimp barrel provided at the end of a wire or cable. In alternative embodiments, the terminal 200 may be a conductor of a wire or cable, which is terminated directly to the mating interposer 150, such as being welded or soldered to the mating interposer 150.
In an exemplary embodiment, the drill bit 302 includes a tip 304, a cone 306, a shaft 308, and a head 310. The shaft 308 is cylindrical. The head 310 is stepped radially outward relative to the shaft 308 to form a pressing surface 312 at the bottom of the head 310. The head 310 may also be cylindrical. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 is located on the end of the drill bit 302. For example, the shaft 308 passes through the opening 156 of the mating interposer 150. The mating interposer 150 may be located immediately below the head 310. During the thermal friction drilling process, the head 310 presses the mating interposer 150 into the flashing collar 140 to connect the mating interposer 150 to the flashing collar 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the mating interposer 150 forms the flashing collar 140. For example, the mating interposer 150 may compress or spread the flashing collar 140 outward along the upper surface 114 to flatten the flashing collar 140 and create a large connection area between the flashing collar 140 and the connecting surface 154 of the mating interposer 150.
During the thermal friction drilling process, the drill bit 302 is operated to initially pierce (
As the drill bit 302 continues to press downward (
With reference to
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f), unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.
